Too Much Sierra, Too Little Fabric
Maisie
Before I could even process that the threesome might be a foursome, the bell on the door jingled again, and in swept Sierra like she expected flashbulbs and applause.
She looked…different.
She didn't look angry or frazzled. And she certainly wasn't dressed for riding a bike.
Her silvery blonde hair was glossy and freshly styled. Her lips were painted the reddest of red. And she wore full, fake eyelashes that looked like spiders ready to eat her face.
She wore a tight, red dress that barely reached mid-thigh, cut so low in front that if she jiggled the wrong way, a nipple sighting wasn't completely out of the question.
And don't get me started on her heels. They were so high, they wouldn't last five seconds on cobblestone – much less on a bike.
When she spotted Griff, she brightened, like she'd just spotted literally the last guy on Earth.
When she struck a pose, we all silently stared, Griff included. But how could he not?
Forget the real possibility of a nipple sighting. She was molesting him with her eyes.
The silenced stretched out until she gave a happy squeal like we were all the best of besties. "Oh my God! You're all here!"
I blinked. Devon flinched. And Griff…well, Griff did nothing.
"Perfect," Sierra chirped, as if we'd all just jumped for joy. "We can totally make this work."
I swallowed hard as my brain raced to catch up. Make what work?
I didn't know what exactly was happening, but I knew one thing for darn sure. Things were going to get worse before they got better.
Across from me, Devon said with a smarmy smile, "See? I told you she was game."
Yup, that definitely made it worse.
With her hips swaying, Sierra moved toward us until she reached Griff's side. "This is going to be so much fun." She gave Griff a saucy wink. "Cozy, intimate, just the four of us."
Griff said, "You mean two."
Sierra leaned close, her voice all breathy sweetness as she practically purred, "What are you saying?"
"Two," Griff repeated. "Not four. That's what I'm saying."
There was a pause as her eyes raked over him with exaggerated slowness. "You and me?" Her smile turned sultry. "Well…if you insist."
In unison, Devon and I blurted out, "What?"
Sierra turned to face us and gave a delicate little shrug. "I'm just saying, swapping is fine, too. I mean, the two of you have history, so…"
Me and Devon?
What the hell?
We had history alright, the kind you bury in a shallow grave. I was glaring now. If Sierra thought she could just waltz into my shop and steal Griff from under my nose, she had another thing coming.
Didn't she?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when she latched onto Griff's arm and purred into his ear, "Wanna do lunch?" She said it like lunch would involve a lot of sucking and slurping but no actual food.
Griff grew very still, not jumping at the chance, but not shaking her off either.
Sierra's mouth was still at his ear. "Let's head out now . That'll give them some time alone."
Devon caught my eye with a grin. "Hey, I'm game if you are."
Game?
Never mind I had a business to run, I was moments away from grabbing a wrench and bludgeoning the idea to death. And of course, it didn't help that Griff still hadn't pulled free of Sierra's clutch.
Was he game?
At the thought of Griff and Sierra waltzing off to wherever, I felt physically sick. And the mental whiplash wasn't helping.
The last time Sierra had seen Griff, she'd treated him like garbage. I mean, sure, I'd seen a flicker of interest, but even that had been laced with so much contempt, I hadn't given it much thought.
But I was thinking now.
Okay, it was mostly about murder, but I wasn't quite sure who to bludgeon first – Devon for coming in here in the first place, Sierra for trying to make off with my guy, or Griff for not shaking her off like a mongoose flinging a snake.
And Sierra practically slithered.
Did Griff like snakes?
I was still standing there in stunned confusion when the door burst open with another jingle, and Chad barreled in, calling out, "Viper Time!"
Good Lord.
Now?
At the sight of us, he stopped short, blinking like he'd walked into the wrong sitcom. He pointed at Sierra. "Wait… you're with him now?"
With a sly little smile, Sierra replied, "Maybe."
My jaw hit the floor. What?
Finally, Griff made a move. With deliberate care, he peeled Sierra's hand off his arm, saying very slowly and clearly, "No. She's not."
Chad hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," Griff said, jerking his chin toward Devon. "She's with him."
Sierra gave a pretty little pout. "But I don't have to be."
I looked to Devon, who was blinking like he'd just been slapped. Part of me almost felt sorry for the guy, although for the life of me, I couldn't imagine why. I mean, it's not like he deserved any sympathy from me of all people.
And of course, it took Devon only five seconds to shatter my sympathy by leaning toward me with an oily smile. "And you don't have to be either."
I felt my face scrunch in confusion. What did that even mean? I mean, I knew it was some sort of come-on, but it didn't even make sense.
When I looked back to Chad, he was still staring at Sierra. With a tilt of his head, he asked, "So…are you still having the wedding? I mean, you've sent me like a dozen emails."
She gave a little huff. "Yeah. And you've never answered."
"Hey, I've been busy."
She gave a toss of her hair. "Yeah. Me too."
Chad's gaze bounced from Sierra to Griff to Devon and finally back to Sierra again. He gave her a puzzled once-over before asking, "So…is there gonna be a wedding or what?"
She smiled brightly. "Of course."
He snorted. "Have you picked out the groom?"
Sierra opened her mouth but made no reply. And yet, I couldn't help but notice that her gaze lingered on Griff – and not on her actual fiancé standing within spitting distance.
Chad only shrugged before looking to me and calling out, "So Viper Bike? You got it?"
Did I ever. As far as I knew, the bike had never been rented, not even once.
I dug deep and forced a professional smile. "Sure, lemme grab it." I began heading toward the back, but then turned back to ask, "Wait…does this mean you're over Shark Bike?"
He grinned. "Hell no. I love the shark. But I told this mega-fan I'd let him take the Sharkster for a spin, you know…clear him as a VIP. The kid's gonna flip. Anyway, I'm doing him a solid, and in return, he's bumping my status on the access list. But now I need the Viper."
This was a lot of information, and I wasn't sure I understood half of it. Then again, I was feeling pretty muddled for reasons unrelated to bikes. Still, I couldn't help but ask, "What's an access list?"
Chad waved off the question. "Eh, don't worry about it, just tech stuff. So, the Viper – can I take it now?" He glanced around. "Or do you guys need to, like, untangle your key-party first?"